4. Pastoralists' Perspectives on the Costs of Widespread Fires in The

4. Pastoralists’ perspectives on the costs of widespread fires in the pastoral lands of the southern Northern Territory region of central Australia, 2000–02

Grant E Allan Andrea Tschirner Contributing author information

GE Allan: Bushfires NT, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, PO Box 2533, Alice Springs, Northern Territory 0871, Australia A Tschirner: Centralian Land Management Association, PO Box 2534, Alice Springs, Northern Territory 0871, Australia (Current address: Charles Darwin Reserve (White Wells Station), via Wubin, Western Australia 6612)

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Centralian Land Management Association (CLMA), Bushfires NT and the Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport (NRETAS). Special thanks to the pastoralists in central Australia for their support of this research through their information and hospitality. Thanks to Dr Glenn Edwards, NRETAS, for his valuable contribution as project leader of Desert Fire; Dr Dionne Walsh, past CLMA Coordinator, for her involvement and support of this research; and our anonymous reviewer of this report.

Shortened forms

AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer CLMA Centralian Land Management Association EMS Environmental Management System GIS Geographic Information System INRM Integrated Natural Resource Management NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NHT Natural Heritage Trust NRETAS Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport, Northern Territory NTFRS Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service

188 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Contents

4.1 Summary...... �� 191 4.1.1 Recommendations...... �� 191 4.2 Introduction and aim...... �� 192 4.3 Methods �� 192 4.4 Results �� 193 4.4.1 Economic information for the 2000–2002 wildfires in centralAustralia ...... �� 194 4.4.2 Areas of potential research and activities needed for better fire management...... �� 196 4.5 Discussion and conclusion...... �� 197 4.6 References...... �� 197 4.7. Appendices...... �� 198 Appendix 1: Bureau of Meteorology monthly significant weather summaries for the period August 2000–December 2002...... �� 198 Appendix 2: Area of pastoral properties burnt during 2001 and 2002...... �� 202 Appendix 3: Activities and costs associated with fires on pastoral properties in central Australia �� 204 Appendix 4: Case study of Coniston Station...... �� 205 Appendix 5: Case study of Erldunda station...... �� 207

Figures

Figure 4.1: Map of fires that affected Coniston Station, 2000–2004...... �� 205 Figure 4.2: Map of fires that affected Erldunda Station during 2002...... �� 207

Tables

Table 4.1: Summary of the major fire issues identified during interviews with pastoralists in central Australia �� 193 Table 4.2: Comments from pastoralists on the 2000–2002 fires, extracted from CLMA’s interviews �� 194 Table 4.3: Costs associated with nine wildfires on one property in central Australia...... �� 195 Table 4.4: Costs associated with six wildfires on one property in central Australia...... �� 195 Table 4.5: Areas of potential research and activities needed for better fire management identified by pastoralists during the INRM planning process in 2004...... �� 196 Table 4.6: List of pastoral properties in central Australia showing the proportion of each burnt, 2001–2002 �� 202 Table 4.7: Activities and costs associated with wildfires in central Australia as identified by pastoralists �� 204 Table 4.8: Details for the fires that affected Coniston Station from 2000 to 2004...... �� 206 Table 4.9: Details for the fires that affected Erldunda Station in 2002...... �� 208

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 189 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 190 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 4. Pastoralists’ perspectives on the costs of widespread fires in the pastoral lands of the southern Northern Territory region of central Australia, 2000–02

Grant E Allan and Andrea Tschirner

4.1 Summary This report documents pastoralists’ perspectives on the costs of widespread fires in the pastoral lands of the southern Northern Territory region during 2000–2002. The research involved personal interviews and discussions with pastoralists representing 51 stations in central Australia. The majority of the direct costs of fire were associated with fire suppression activities and damage to infrastructure, but also included risk minimisation activities such as fire-break maintenance. A few pastoralists were also able to estimate some of their indirect costs, such as loss of pasture. The interviews and discussions also provided the opportunity to gather information on the benefits of fire management activities, such as pasture improvement and woody weed control. Additional economic information was collected from other available sources. It proved difficult to document fire-related costs for individual properties. In most cases, specific records were not kept and hazy memories were fading. Direct economic costs experienced by individual pastoral businesses due to the 2000–02 wildfires ranged from zero dollars (where properties remained unburnt and unaffected by the wildfires) to more than $420 000. For one property badly affected by numerous wildfires over the entire wildfire period, additional costs due to lost potential production and stock turn-off were estimated at more than $2 million. Two contrasting case studies of individual properties are presented where post-fire rainfall was identified as a significant factor associated with the impact of fires, especially in relation to subsequent grazing and stock management. In the first case, infrastructure was damaged but good post-fire rainfall contributed to a positive pasture response in burnt areas which minimised production losses, whereas fire and the absence of post-fire rainfall in the second continued to affect grazing management for the next three years. The research work also provided the opportunity for pastoralists to identify areas of potential research and activities for better fire management.

4.1.1 Recommendations • Improve communications between all stakeholders to encourage greater community participation in regional-scale planning and increase awareness of both positive and negative effects of fire. • Encourage all land managers to record fire information immediately after fires so that information is not lost.

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 191 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 4.2 Introduction and aim Most wildfires receiving national media coverage and economic analysis are those occurring on the east coast of Australia in urban and regional areas. Wildfires in the extensive rangelands generally do not capture the public interest, as they rarely result in direct loss of life or livelihood. A descriptive summary of the period of extensive wildfires in central Australia during 2000–02 was recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology as part of their monthly significant-weather summaries (Appendix 1). According to the Australian Institute of Criminology (2004): Each year ‘disaster-level’ bushfires (where the total insurance cost of the event was more than $10 million) cost Australia an average of $77 million. Between 1967 and 1999 Australia was affected by 23 bushfires where the insurance cost was greater than $10 million. The total cost of these bushfires is estimated to have been more than $2.5 billion, a figure that does not necessarily include forestry losses. The January 2003 fires that destroyed over 500 homes and claimed four lives in Canberra caused over $300 million damage including more than $50 million from the almost total loss of ACT forests. It is unlikely that this analysis takes into account the costs associated with wildfires in the rangelands. The cost of fires on pastoral lands is difficult to ascertain, due to the nature of pastoral business records and day-to-day management. The activities involved with wildfire-fighting and controlled strategic burning are often similar to, or carried out as part of other station activities, and thus actual costs associated with fire management are hard to accurately identify. This report documents pastoralists’ perspectives on the costs of widespread fires in the pastoral lands of the southern Northern Territory region during 2000–2002 and is a product of Desert Fire subproject 3b. The primary focus of the research for this subproject was assessing costs associated with fire suppression activities and risk minimisation (such as fire-break maintenance), as well as assessing damage to infrastructure and loss of pasture. However, it also provided the opportunity to gather information on the benefits of fire management activities, such as pasture improvement and woody- weed control. This research was linked to two projects undertaken by the Centralian Land Management Association (CLMA). The first was funded by the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) program to collect information for the development of an Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) plan for the Northern Territory. The second was the Environmental Management System (EMS) project that ran over the three-year period from July 2003 to June 2006.

4.3 Methods The majority of the information for this subproject was collected by the CLMA during personal interviews with pastoral land managers. As part of the INRM project, discussions were held with pastoralists representing 36 stations in central Australia. The CLMA EMS project conducted personal interviews with 15 other pastoralists. As part of the process of collecting natural resource management information, managers were asked to provide specific economic information on both the direct and indirect costs of fires during the period 2000–2002. The EMS interviews were generally conducted in association with satellite-derived fire history maps of the station. This approach provided a prompt for discussion and also an opportunity to verify the accuracy of the fire maps. Some of the pastoralists had not experienced any significant fires on their properties (see Appendix 2) and did not contribute any fire information. From these consultations, a range of figures has been calculated to reflect the costs experienced by individual properties associated with fighting fires, follow-up repairs and changes in management required to maintain a profitable business.

192 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Other economic data associated with fires was also available. This included: • results from the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association ‘Bushfire damage questionnaire’ in December 2002 (although only 10 responses were received from 72 properties) • a summary, from the NT Bushfires Council Chairman’s report, of the number of staff and volunteer hours spent fighting fires in central Australia during the 2002/03 financial year • a summary of damage to national parks and tourist facilities from the Northern Territory’s Parks and Wildlife Service and also the Fire and Emergency Services agency.

4.4 Results The interviews with pastoralists highlighted that existing perceptions and use of fire differ greatly within the pastoral industry of central Australia. Fire is an issue that initiates enormous emotive debate, both within and outside of the pastoral community. A summary of both the major issues concerning wildfires and also the existing uses of fire as a management tool is provided below. The most immediate issue with regard to wildfires on pastoral lands was the loss of valuable feed and damage to station infrastructure. Wildfires on grazing lands have enormous potential to create immediate drought conditions, at great cost to both economic production and land condition.

Table 4.1: Summary of the major fire issues identified during interviews with pastoralists in central Australia

Major issues concerning wildfires Major issues concerning fire Existing uses of fire as a on pastoral lands management on pastoral lands management tool on pastoral lands • potential loss of valuable feed • lack of knowledge of using fire as a • control of woody shrub growth management tool (especially mulga) • damage to infrastructure (fences, buildings, water pipes, vehicles) • fear of litigation • creation of fire breaks along fence lines and tracks • damage to native vegetation • potential loss of valuable feed • breaking-up of fuel loads into • development of bad relationships • increased shrub encroachment and smaller areas of differing ages for among and between community woody thickening fire breaks or restricting fire spread groups, caused by deliberate or accidental ignition of uncontrollable • promotion of green pick as a fires stimulus for cattle to use spinifex country, or different parts of the paddock

• control of weeds

A summary of the area burnt on pastoral properties within the Alice Springs pastoral district during 2001–2002 is provided in Appendix 2. Further information on this period of fires in central Australia is provided by Allan (2009). Only one station completely escaped the fires and only a few others escaped with minimal areas burnt. There was a clear separation of fire occurrence north and south of Alice Springs and the MacDonnell Ranges. While 15 stations had greater than 50% of their property burnt in 2001, the impact was greater for those burnt in 2002, especially for 4 stations south of Alice Springs. These stations did not receive sufficient rainfall to help with post-fire recovery of pasture. In addition to the summary of fire issues listed above, the CLMA’s interviews with pastoralists provided other information about their perspectives on fire. Below is a selection of descriptive comments by pastoralists on a range of fire issues, from uncontrolled ignitions, active use of fire and impacts of fire on their cattle enterprises.

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 193 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Table 4.2: Comments from pastoralists on the 2000–2002 fires, extracted from CLMA’s interviews

‘2001 fires were hot but not widespread. We only had one good rain following the fires and the country is only just coming back two and a half years later. We’ve had no really big fires since the 1930s.’ ‘Not really affected because we actively use fire as often as we can, and the country was broken up.’ ‘We had volunteers helping us to fight wildfires in 2001–02. They were excellent; without them, fires would have been a lot worse.’ ‘In 2001, one third of total property burnt. We spent 10 days fighting fires, starting on Melbourne Cup day, then had a total of 101 ml of rain for November. There was small grass growth after this. We have been doing some preventative burning on the southern part of the place this year to reduce the risk of any more big fires coming through.’ ‘There were about 100 small grass fires lit from the highway. This caused us a lot of trouble.’ ‘85% of the property burnt between April and October 2001.’ ‘Big hot fires came through from the north. We spent a lot of time chasing fires and putting in back-burns, but our efforts were worthless and the fires jumped the breaks, and the wind changed. We had good rains after the fires, and it has done amazing things for the country. Having known what we know now, we wouldn’t have put so much time and effort into trying to stop the fires.’ ‘Fires threatened from the desert country, but we were able to keep it under control.’ ‘We got burnt out to the north-east from the neighbours. There was no control attempted by the neighbouring property, and we suffered as a consequence.’ ‘We weren’t here in the 2001 fires but we are seeing a good response in some of the areas that were burnt. There is lots of parakeelya now growing in the sandhill country where the fires were in the east of the property.’ ‘I caught 23 different fires being lit in 2001–02 by Indigenous mob. We are not sure what the answer is to fixing this problem.’ ‘We were hammered by wildfires. Most were deliberately lit. The country is only just starting to come back in places. It has cleaned up a lot of scrub, but also meant we lost a hell of a lot of feed for stock. We spent weeks fighting fires, as it turns out we were wasting our time and efforts.’ ‘We’ve seen fire bring on the germination of acacia shrubs and thicken up the country. The gidgee country is a good break because there is no understorey fuel.’ ‘We try to burn when we can to strategically break up the country, especially along boundaries. We have had a good response from the country following the 2002 fires. It cleaned up a lot of mulga.’ ‘We didn’t suffer any loss of infrastructure or stock. However, we were forced to sell cattle. The fires have buggered up drought reserve country that would otherwise be in production now. The effects of fires on our pasture management have been lost feed and forced selling of cattle. There has been no rain on the burnt areas, which has depleted the pasture base. We have had to reorganise our grazing management.’

4.4.1 Economic information for the 2000–2002 wildfires in central Australia According to the Bushfire CRC (nd), ‘Nobody has yet got the accurate numbers on bushfire impacts – their economic, social and environmental costs. Current estimates often ignore economic principles and are of limited value in dealing with governments that increasingly require fire agencies to justify their actions with economic and other quantitative indicators’. Attempts were made to record individual property costs associated with fighting wildfires between 2000 and 2002 in central Australia. CLMA found this difficult due to the absence of records and hazy memory of details. Written records of direct fire-related costs were available for only two properties (Tables 4.3 and 4.4). In addition to these direct costs, potential lost production on the first property (Table 4.3) was estimated to be $2 250 000 based on 3000 head of cattle at $750/head. Potential lost production was not estimated for property 2 (Table 4.4).

194 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Table 4.3: Costs associated with nine wildfires on one property in central Australia

Fire Days Aircraft Dozer Grader Vehicles Personnel Infrastructure TOTAL damage 1 2 900 1 620 1 200 540 500 4 760 2 16 5 400 14 310 6 400 3 390 20 000 49 500 3 6 9 720 7 200 6 300 23 220 4 3 3 240 1 500 540 5 280 5 2 1 620 900 360 2 164 5 044 6 9 3 000 6 000 28 350 19 000 11 304 15 000 82 654 7 1 1 200 720 140 000 141 920 8 1 600 1 350 1 000 600 3 550 9 1 600 1 620 1 800 1 080 5 100 R&M 1 200 1 200 Sub-Total 322 228 Insurance -15 000 -15 000 claim TOTAL 307 228

Note: In addition to the direct costs, potential lost production was calculated to be $2 250 000, based on 3000 head of cattle at $750/head.

Table 4.4: Costs associated with six wildfires on one property in central Australia

Fire Aircraft Dozer Grader Vehicles Personnel Extras Infrastructure Est’d TOTAL $ $ $ $ $ $ $ damage area burnt km² 1 1 352 5 120 2 560 1 170 1 200 Fences – 1 km 100 11 402 2 1 014 4 480 3 520 660 1 900 Fences – 3 km 250 11 574 3 1 300 4 800 2 000 600 2 400 Fences – 6 km 200 11 100 4 962 5 120 800 2 400 1 100 9 282 5 260 2 560 960 540 50 kL Tank 50 4 320 6 3 432 5 760 10 560 12 800 4 800 1 000 37 352 TOTAL 85 030

For all the other stations, only the range of costs for the activities relating to fires on pastoral lands can be provided. The figures show the costs associated with fighting fires experienced by individual properties, and the follow-up repairs and changes in management required to maintain a profitable business. A summary of the activities and costs associated with fires on pastoral lands in central Australia is provided in Appendix 3. Direct costs experienced by individual pastoral businesses due to the 2000–2002 wildfires ranged from $0 (where properties remained unburnt and unaffected by the wildfires) to in excess of $420 000. Additional costs were calculated by estimating lost potential production and stock turn- off. One property, badly affected by numerous wildfires over the entire wildfire season, estimated lost opportunity costs to be at over $2 million. This included costs associated with interest paid on outstanding debts due to zero net income for over a year. Information from the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association ‘Bushfire damage questionnaire’ indicated that the estimated total infrastructure, plant and equipment losses, for the 10 properties that responded, amounted to $850 000. Figures from individual properties ranged from $2500 to $420 000, similar to the range recorded in this study. Post-fire rainfall was a significant factor that influenced the longer-term effects of the 2001–2002 wildfires, especially subsequent costs associated with grazing and stock management. Properties that received good rainfalls after the fires experienced healthy regrowth of pastures. Many properties that had good post-fire rains were able to retain stock and maintain productivity. Two contrasting case studies of individual properties were prepared, where post-fire rainfall was identified as a significant factor associated with the impact of fires, especially in relation to subsequent grazing and stock

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 195 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 management (Appendices 4 and 5). In the first case, infrastructure was damaged but good post-fire rainfall contributed to a positive pasture response in burnt areas, which minimised production losses. In the second, fire effects and the absence of post-fire rainfall continued to affect grazing management for the next three years. Post-fire rains are usually beneficial to production and can counteract costs associated with damage to and loss of valuable dry pasture. However, heavy rains after wildfires also have the potential to damage land condition and may accelerate soil erosion processes. After fires have removed most groundcover, and fragile bare soils experience heavy rainfall, the resulting run-off will carry valuable topsoil away, reduce land condition and undermine production potential (Latz 2007, Russell-Smith et al. 2006). In addition to the costs borne by the pastoral industry during the 2001–02 wildfires, numerous other stakeholders in the region experienced economic costs as a result of the fires. During the 2002/03 financial year the total number of hours spent by Bushfires NT staff, volunteers and members on fighting wildfires in the Alice East region was 1308 hours, and for Alice West, 1798 hours. If time were considered as a cost, using an hourly rate of $25, total costs of person-hours involved in fire fighting would equate to almost $77 650. This does not take into account vehicle and equipment costs. Watarrka National Park to the south-west of Alice Springs experienced damage to park infrastructure, and park staff spent many hours fighting fires in October 2002. Costs to replace and restore park infrastructure exceeded $52 500 (Mike Deegan, PWSNT, pers. comm.). A wildfire at the Yulara Resort in October 2003 caused damage to infrastructure and required evacuation of staff, local residents, guests and tourists. Reports from the Yulara Fire & Rescue Service estimated the initial insurance claim of Longitude 131, the tourist facility damaged by the wildfire, to be around $4 million dollars, with the final claim estimated to be $8–9 million. This does not account for the costs of the evacuation and fire fighting by volunteers, the Bushfires Council, staff from Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park and the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS). During the fires, an NTFRS rescue truck was also destroyed.

4.4.2 Areas of potential research and activities needed for better fire management During the INRM Plan consultation process in 2004, pastoral stakeholders identified a series of priority fire management issues. The areas of potential research and activities needed for better fire management are listed below. The methodology of consultation used in detailing fire-related issues, and the results of survey questions were outlined in a report by CLMA (2004).

Table 4.5: Areas of potential research and activities needed for better fire management identified by pastoralists during the INRM planning process in 2004

Potential research • effects of fire on soil processes, soil health and organic carbon levels • optimal use of fire to improve palatability of spinifex country • effects of fire frequency and intensity on mulga • effects of fire frequency and intensity on different land types Actions needed to • regional fire management planning (across tenures) help people better • property-level strategic planning manage and use fire • research and publication of results to create a better understanding of the effects (both good and bad) of fire in different land types and seasonal situations • on-ground research and demonstrations – preferably on a working property using scenarios typical of commercial-scale businesses in the region • prosecution of arson offenders causing malicious damage by wildfires

196 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 4.5 Discussion and conclusion Fire management on pastoral lands is a socially, culturally and economically complex issue. The diverse range of current practices and attitudes reflects this complexity. To encourage greater community participation and awareness of both positive and negative effects of fire, planning at a regional scale involving communications between all stakeholders is vital. While many pastoral land managers are interested in using fire to manage their land and to prevent wildfires, most do not because of the risk associated with burning, including loss of valuable feed. The uncertainty of rainfall means that there is too much to lose. Existing knowledge and current and future research must be used and developed in an effective way to inform stakeholders of the options available to them with regard to using fire as a land management tool. There is potential for the DKCRC, agencies and community groups to work together to tackle this issue by developing extension material and by publishing user-friendly research.

4.6 References

Allan GE. 2009. Managing fire in the southern Tanami Desert, in Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia, (Eds.) GP Edwards and GE Allan, pp. 17–78, DKCRC Report 37, Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, Alice Springs. Australian Institute of Criminology. 2004. ‘The Cost of Bushfires’. BushFIRE Arson Bulletin, 2, 23 November 2004, http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/bfab/bfab002.pdf. Bushfire CRC. nd. Bushfire Economics. Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, http://www.bushfirecrc. com/research/c51/c51.html. CLMA. 2004. Planning for the Future. Natural Resource Management in Central Australia – Summary and feedback for INRM Planning process, Report to Northern Territory Department of Infrastructure Planning and Environment. Latz P. 2007. The flaming desert, arid Australia – a fire shaped landscape, Peter Latz, Alice Springs. Russell-Smith J, Yates CP and Lynch B. 2006. Fire regimes and soil erosion in northern Australian hilly savannas. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 15, 551–556.

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 197 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 4.7. Appendices

Appendix 1: Bureau of Meteorology monthly significant weather summaries for the period August 2000–December 2002 Each month the unusual, extreme and interesting weather events that occur around Australia are summarised. Record temperatures and rainfalls, storms, floods, fires, tropical cyclones and other meteorological events that have had a significant impact on Australian life are listed. The following extract involves bushfires in central Australia only. The summaries are published quickly using real- time data which may not be complete and may not have been verified. The web address is: http://www. bom.gov.au/inside/services_policy/public/sigwxsum/sigwmenu.shtml

Aug 2000: During the last three weeks of August, wildfires burnt large areas of pasture and scrub on Suplejack Station in the Victoria River region, and on Lake Nash Station and Georgina Station in the Barkly region. During the last week of August, a large fire threatened a conservation enclosure in the Tanami Desert north of Willowra, which is one of the last refuges of Mala (hare-wallabies).

Sep 2000: At least five large fires during the last two weeks of September affected pastoral stations in the Barkly region, the Tanami desert and the north-west Alice Springs region. Fencing and extensive areas of pasture were lost in the fires, and widespread smoke haze spread as far south as Alice Springs. During the last week of September, Darwin firefighters were placed on alert to assist local volunteers, as a large fire threatened homes along the municipal boundary of Tennant Creek.

Oct 2000: Fresh, dry and gusty easterly winds resulted in periods of very high fire danger over the Barkly district, Victoria River region and the Top End during the first half of October.

Very high fire danger also occurred in the western Alice Springs region during the second half of October. Darwin firefighters remained on alert during the first week of October to assist Tennant Creek volunteers as fires continued to threaten the town. Many fires which had burnt extensive areas in the Barkly region, the Tanami desert and the western Alice Springs region since early September, were extinguished by widespread rain and cool weather during the third week of October.

Dec 2000: Fresh and dry easterly winds caused a period of high fire danger in the Alice Springs district during the first week of December. Several fires around the perimeter of the Alice Springs town area threatened properties on the 9th and 10th. One grassfire swept through three rural blocks in the Ilparpa Valley, south of Alice Springs, destroying a shed, caravan and mobile home.

May 2001: Fires caused significant pasture losses on Mt Doreen and Newhaven stations near Yuendumu and on Mt Skinner and Bushy Park stations north of Alice Springs. During the middle of the month, many fires in the Barkly region caused significant pasture losses, including 600 square kilometres burnt on Brunchilly Station, north-west of Tennant Creek.

Jul 2001: On the 9th fresh northerly winds in the southern half of the Northern Territory caused high fire danger near Tennant Creek, Jervois and the Davenport Range. Controlled burning operations were also affected in the Yulara area.

Aug 2001: Many fires occurred in central parts of the Northern Territory during the last three weeks of August. The Davenport Range National Park and several stations in the southern Barkly region were seriously affected by major fires, which burnt an area of 2,500 to 3,000 square kilometres. A

198 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 grader operator was badly burnt on Kurrundi Station, homesteads were threatened and sheds damaged at Annitowa and Elkedra Stations during the fires. Many smaller fires, some deliberately lit, have also affected the Alice Springs area during the last 2 weeks of August.

Sep 2001: The worst fires in 25 years have occurred in the southern half of the Northern Territory during the past two months. Abundant grassy fuel combined with dry and gusty winds have produced periods of dangerous fire weather conditions in many parts of the Northern Territory. Many pastoral properties in the Tennant Creek and Alice Springs districts are 50-80% burnt, representing an area of tens of thousands of square kilometres. Hundreds of head of cattle have been killed, fences and outbuildings destroyed and homesteads have been threatened by the fires. Some of the badly affected properties were Mt Doreen, Narwietooma, Napperby, Amburla and Bond Springs stations north and north-west of Alice Springs and Ammaroo station east of Barrow Creek. Fires on Elkedra and Annitowa stations in the southern Barkly region travelled up to 70 kilometres in 24 hours, jumping the Sandover Highway and threatening homesteads. A 70 kilometre fire front was observed on Napperby station on the 30th. Over 750 fires have been reported in the Alice Springs area during the past two months most deliberately lit. On the 5th of September westerly winds gusting up to 60 km/h caused problems with bushfires in the Hermannsburg area and on Aileron and Bushy Park stations north of Alice Springs. A large fire in the hills west of Alice Springs burnt an area of 150 square kilometres during the last week of September and required a 15 kilometre back-burn along the Stuart Highway. Shade structures in Simpson Gap National Park were destroyed by the fire and residents in the western suburbs of Alice Springs were advised to prepare hoses to protect their homes as the fire approached on the 30th.

Oct 2001: Fresh and gusty winds caused near extreme fire danger in the western Alice Springs District during the first, third and fourth weeks of October. Major fires affected several pastoral properties north-west of Alice Springs during the first week of the month. A fire on Mount Doreen station near Yuendumu burnt for five days up to the 3rd, burning an area of over 1,000 square km. The homestead was threatened, a 5,000 gallon water tank and large areas of valuable pasture were destroyed. There were tens of thousands of dollars worth of lost pasture and fire fighting operations. A large fire burnt through Aileron, Hamilton Downs, Amburla and Napperby Stations north-west of Alice Springs during the first week of the month, also burning an area of 1,000 square km and destroying fencing and large areas of pasture. Another fire on Owen Springs Station, south-west of Alice Springs, burnt 100 square km during the same period.

Nov 2001: Lightning caused around 40 fires in the Barkly district during the second week of November with significant fire activity continuing for a further 2 weeks. Fires caused losses of 20-40% of pasture in Alroy Downs and Brunette Downs stations, an area of over 3,000 square kilometres. Large fires also affected Jervois and Tarlton Downs, with over 1,000 square kilometres burnt, and fires also occurred on Newcastle Waters, Ucharonidge and Rockhampton Downs stations. Large fires affected remote areas in the Tanami and Simpson deserts during the last two weeks of the month. At least 1,000 square kilometres was burnt in the Simpson desert, with one fire front travelling around 40 km in one day.

Dec 2001: Lightning caused many fires in the Barkly tableland area during the week before Christmas affecting Rocklands, Alexandria Downs, Brunette Downs and Benmarra pastoral stations. Some pasture losses were reported before rain extinguished most fires in late December. Pastoral properties in the eastern Alice Springs district were also affected by fires in the week before Christmas, including Argadargaga, Lake Nash, Ooratippra, Manners Creek and Lucy Creek stations. One large fire burnt half of Argadargada station and threatened two homesteads on the evening of the 25th. The total area burnt on these properties was estimated to be around 700 square kilometres and some fires in Lucy Creek station continued burning into the new year.

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 199 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Jan 2002: Lightning caused many fires in the southern half of the Northern Territory during the last two weeks of January. Large fires affected Lucy Creek, Annitowa and Derry Downs stations in the Jervois area, and other large fires affected Horseshoe Bend, Maryvale, Allambi and Palmer Valley stations south-west of Alice Springs. Some pasture losses were reported. On the 17th a fire which had been burning in the Western Desert since early December threatened the Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon). A 60 km fire front passed within 13 kilometres of the Park. Many fires were deliberately lit closer to Alice Springs during the last week of the month. Larger fires affected the Owen Springs and Jessie Gap areas west of the town and the Ilparpa Valley, south of Alice Springs.

Feb 2002: Several fires in the southern half of the Northern Territory that were lit by lightning in January continued burning into February. A large fire in the Derry Downs, Ammaroo and Ooratippra pastoral stations burnt a total of several thousand square kilometres during a four week period. Many small bushfires were deliberately lit closer to Alice Springs early in February before widespread rain and cooler weather in the third week of the month extinguished most fires.

Apr 2002: A large fire started by lightning threatening Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) between the 15th and 22nd. The fire burned about 100 square kilometres of spinifex country and required extensive back-burning to control. Another fire around the same time burnt about 500 square kilometres of the West MacDonnell National Park, west of Alice Springs. Sections of the Larapinta Trail and Ormiston Gorge walks and camping grounds in the area were closed during the fire. Other large fires affected the Angas Downs and Curtin Springs stations near Uluru for around 10 days and also the Todd River and Santa Theresa stations south-east of Alice Springs.

Jun 2002: In the southern half of the Territory, very high fire dangers were attained mid-month during fresh and gusty north-westerly winds and near-record high temperatures associated with the passage of a front. There was an unusually large number of fires for the month due to dry conditions. Many fires were in inaccessible areas, while some resulted from fuel reduction burns which ran out of control. Early in the month one such fire burnt the Watarrka National Park, causing $30,000 worth of damage to the park furniture and equipment.

Jul 2002: In the southern half of the Territory, very high fire dangers occurred in mid July during gusty westerly winds. Dry conditions and high fuel quantities contributed to unseasonal fire activity as fires were not extinguished by low overnight temperatures. On the 13th a fire on Palmer Valley and Angas Downs Stations burnt 35 kilometres of bush in 24 hours and caused a smoke plume which affected Alice Springs, 150 kilometres to the north-west.

Aug 2002: A fire on the 18th threatened buildings at Alice Springs. A nearby retirement home was evacuated due to thick smoke.

Sep 2002: Large fires affected pastoral properties in southern parts of the Northern Territory during the last three weeks of September. Fires caused significant loss of pasture and fencing in areas to the north- east, north-west and south-west of Alice Springs. Large parts of Curtin Springs, Lindavale and Owen Springs stations were burnt out. A large fire also affected the south-west corner of Yulara National Park during the second half of the month, causing evacuation of people in the area and closure of walks at Kata Tjuta (the Olgas).

Oct 2002: During October extreme fire danger conditions occurred on four days in the Alice Springs district and on six days over the Victoria River and Roper-McArthur districts. Many fires were either deliberately lit or lit by lightning burning out large areas of pasture and scrub in these districts and required considerable resources to control.

200 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 A large fire burnt for three weeks through Curtin Springs pastoral station from late September until mid-October causing smoke problems on the Lasseter Highway. The same fire threatened Yulara resort as it burnt the south-eastern corner of Uluru National Park. During the first week of October a fire burning over several fronts around 25 kilometres long burnt about 800 square kilometres of scrub and grazing land on Owen Springs station. The fire threatened the Owen Springs homestead, about 65 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs, and also closed the Stuart Highway. Other very large fires burnt inaccessible parts of the Tanami desert for most of the month and also parts of Wave Hill, Cattle Creek, Willeroo and Scott Creek pastoral stations in the Victoria River district late in October. In the last week of October lightning started fires which burnt out parts of Tempe Downs, Angas Downs and Palmer Valley stations and also threatened Kings Creek Resort in Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon).

Nov 2002: During November periods of extreme fire danger occurred on 4 days in the Alice Springs district and on 2 days in the Victoria River and Barkly districts. Bushfires in central Australia posed a serious threat to life and property during the past two months. Extensive resources were utilised in fighting fires and considerable damage was sustained in terms of both destruction of assets and the impact on the environment. Widespread rainfall in Central Australia during the last week of November has eased the threat with many of the fires being extinguished, especially those in inaccessible mountain range country. During the week of 9-15th November, firefighters had to actively defend the Garden station homestead, the township of Kulgera, luxury tent accommodation at Yulara, Ross River homestead, and the Bond Springs and Undoolya homesteads. Over the weekend of 16-17th November, a 25 kilometre fire front posed a direct threat to the north- eastern area of Alice Springs town but a back-burning operation on the 17th created a protective buffer zone. In the early hours of the 17th, some residents in Iwupataka had to evacuate their residences due to approaching fire fronts. Namatjira Drive and Ross River Tourist Loop were closed due to smoke and flames threatening tourist safety. Residents of Alice Springs were warned there would be a considerable smoke haze over the town for the duration of the fires. The Bushfires Council, NT Fire and Rescue Service, NT Police and the NT Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment met regularly to coordinate operations. Bushfires Council staff and volunteer Brigade members, station staff supported by Alice Springs residents, National Parks staff, NT Fire Service staff and volunteers all worked extensive hours to contain the fires. A grader and bulldozer assisted with containment operations and aircraft were used extensively to survey fires and direct crews to fire grounds. Initial reports of property loss include extensive pasture loss, fences, calves, poly-pipe, tanks, and radio repeaters. Bushfires Council staff are now assisting with assessing the extent and impact of the fires.

Dec 2002: The 1st was the only day of the month with marginal fire weather conditions in the Alice Springs District. Fire activity in the Alice Springs district was much reduced following the rains in late November. In the week before Christmas, two large fires in Andado and Allambi Stations were started by lightning. There was also a large fire at Aileron. At the end of December large fires were still burning in the western desert near Yulara. These were being left to burn, as they were surrounded by land which had already been burnt out.

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 201 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Appendix 2: Area of pastoral properties burnt during 2001 and 2002 Table 4.6: List of pastoral properties in central Australia showing the proportion of each burnt, 2001–2002

Station area Area burnt Percent burnt Area burnt Percent Station (km²) 2001 (km²) 2001 2002 (km²) burnt 2002 Aileron 4102.0 929.9 22.7 0.2 12.8

Alcoota 3070.5 512.4 16.7 153.3 5.0

Allambi 2710.2 0.0 0.0 215.3 7.9

Ambilindum 3355.4 0.0 0.0 589.8 17.6

Amburla 2426.5 420.8 17.3 299.4 12.4

Ammaroo 3208.3 1249.9 39.0 1739.6 54.1

Andado 10935.7 257.2 2.4 734.8 6.7

Angas Downs 3238.5 0.0 0.0 1843.9 56.9

Anningie 4417.8 2383.8 54.0 183.1 4.1

Annitowa 4319.3 2615.9 60.6 885.6 20.5

Arapunya 2421.2 0.0 0.0 296.0 12.2

Argadargada 5126.9 863.5 16.8 3004.9 58.6

Bond Springs 1701.2 412.4 24.2 0.2 13.8

Bushy Park 1710.3 495.6 29.0 145.5 8.5

Coniston 2182.4 1138.6 52.2 74.6 3.4

Curtin Springs 4193.1 0.0 0.0 2266.6 54.0

Deep Well 1767.7 0.0 0.0 43.8 2.5

Delmore Downs 388.3 9.0 2.3 63.4 16.3

Delny 850.3 49.6 5.8 59.6 7.0

Derry Downs 4330.9 78.1 1.8 2762.8 63.7

Derwent 1661.6 348.4 21.0 369.4 22.2

Dneiper 902.1 0.0 0.0 126.4 13.9

Elkedra 5423.7 2164.8 39.9 2233.9 41.2

Erldunda 2945.4 0.0 0.0 699.9 23.8

Glen Helen 1433.9 51.5 3.6 95.8 6.7

Hamilton Downs 2120.9 151.8 7.2 69.1 3.3

Henbury 5322.3 15.8 0.3 1032.3 19.4

Horseshoe Bend 6042.6 7.7 0.1 1913.9 31.6

Huckitta 1912.7 0.0 0.0 235.2 12.3

Idracowra 4720.9 0.0 0.0 2333.9 49.4

Indiana 3099.4 125.4 4.0 238.0 7.7

Jervois 2846.9 317.1 11.1 1531.3 53.7

Jinka 2078.6 0.0 0.0 629.3 30.2

Lilla Creek 3035.1 0.0 0.0 705.7 23.2

Loves Creek 3809.2 0.0 0.0 122.4 3.2

Lucy Creek 4048.3 11.4 0.3 506.7 12.5

Lyndavale 3813.7 0.0 0.0 1457.5 38.1

Macdonald Downs 2072.4 135.2 6.5 136.5 6.6

Manners Creek 6708.7 1225.4 18.3 1358.1 20.2

Marqua 4387.9 0.0 0.0 33.6 0.8

Maryvale 3232.7 0.0 0.0 168.2 5.2

Mt Cavenagh 918.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Mt Ebenezer 1674.8 0.0 0.0 680.1 40.3

Mt. Denison 2688.2 536.1 19.9 410.4 15.2

Mt. Doreen 7398.1 2241.1 30.3 1206.1 16.3

202 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Station area Area burnt Percent burnt Area burnt Percent Station (km²) 2001 (km²) 2001 2002 (km²) burnt 2002 Mt. Riddock 2581.2 0.0 0.0 158.9 6.1

Mt. Skinner 2861.1 1745.4 61.0 40.6 1.4

Mulga Park 2685.9 31.9 1.2 1914.7 71.2

Murray Downs 5571.2 1889.9 33.9 613.6 11.0

Napperby 5431.3 1203.7 22.2 771.5 14.2

Narwietooma 2635.7 610.7 23.2 542.7 20.5

Neutral Junction 4741.2 3232.0 68.2 196.9 4.2

New Crown 6426.2 103.2 1.6 245.7 3.8

Newhaven 2620.9 534.0 20.4 518.9 19.8

Numery 2085.0 0.0 0.0 143.8 6.9

Old Macdonald Downs 567.8 0.0 0.0 51.2 9.0

Orange Creek 2404.1 0.0 0.0 548.6 22.7

Owen Springs 3536.7 45.1 1.3 2030.4 57.4

Palmer Valley 3020.6 0.0 0.0 1405.2 46.5

Pine Hill 2842.9 788.4 27.7 299.4 10.5

Ringwood 2293.2 56.7 2.5 186.5 8.1

Stirling 7406.4 4859.3 65.6 454.9 6.1

Suplejack 3792.6 812.9 21.4 1858.1 49.0

Tarlton Downs 3100.8 190.3 6.1 462.7 14.9

The Garden 2224.1 45.8 2.1 737.1 33.0

Tobermory 6062.7 635.7 10.5 0.0 0.0

Todd River 2031.8 0.0 0.0 70.5 3.5

Umbeara 3658.8 0.0 0.0 276.6 7.6

Undoolya 1721.3 0.0 0.0 125.1 7.2

Victory Downs 3104.1 0.0 0.0 469.2 15.1

Woodgreen 2286.6 1686.7 73.8 43.2 1.9

Yambah 2414.9 7.6 0.3 512.1 21.2

Note: The data were derived from regional fire history maps generated from NOAA AVHRR satellite images. The primary source was provided by WA Department of Land Information with some refinement by Bushfires NT. The data are not as accurate as the Landsat-derived statistics presented in the Coniston and Erldunda case studies (Appendices 4 and 5). More detailed information on this period of fires is provided by Allan (2009).

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 203 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Appendix 3: Activities and costs associated with fires on pastoral properties in central Australia During the interviews and discussions with pastoralists it was apparent that there are numerous activities associated with fire on pastoral lands in central Australia. For most of these activities it is possible to identify an associated direct cost. The pastoralists also identified indirect costs associated with fires. Many properties in central Australia experienced losses in potential production or activities that could or would have occurred if they had not experienced wildfires. Table 4.4 lists the activities and the source of the direct costs for the main aspects of fire management. These include active fire management or wildfire suppression, protection of livestock and property and post-fire management. There are also additional costs that are more difficult to link to economic values.

Table 4.7: Activities and costs associated with wildfires in central Australia as identified by pastoralists

Active fire management or wildfire suppression

Activities involved Source of costs associated with activities • clearing breaks • labour • back-burning off fence lines and breaks • fuel; repairs and maintenance (including tyres); running costs • checking fire fronts of motor vehicles, bulldozer/grader, motorbikes, fixed-wing • wetting or extinguishing fire fronts aircraft • aerial control burning (incendiaries dropped from fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters)

Protection of livestock and property

Activities involved Source of costs associated with activities • moving stock – trucking and/or walking • labour, including accommodation, food • cutting fences/opening paddocks • fuel; repairs and maintenance (including tyres); running costs of motor vehicles, trucks and trailers, stockhorse plant, motorbikes, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter

Post-fire repairs, maintenance and stock management

Activities involved Source of costs associated with activities • replacing damaged pipeline, tanks, troughs • labour • replacing/repairing fence lines • purchase of new pipeline, tanks, troughs, fencing materials • removing dead tree limbs and debris from tracks/ • fuel; repairs and maintenance (including tyres); running fences costs of motor vehicles, bulldozer/grader, trucks and trailers, • drafting mixed mobs of stock stockhorse plant, motorbikes, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter • moving stock – trucking or walking cattle within property • agistment of stock – trucking cattle off property

Additional costs

Activities involved • lost production (through loss of fodder): • reduced no. of cattle turned off to market • reduced quality of cattle turned off to market • loss of resource to invite agistment • reduced available fodder due to spelling (which is often required to allow enough fuel to carry an effective fire) • Poor or no pasture growth post-burning. Due to the uncertainty associated with unpredictable rainfall and seasonal conditions (that determine pasture growth following burning), there is a high risk associated with strategic burning in central Australia • decreased drought protection • time and labour – time spent fighting fires that would have been spent on planned work and personal activities • holiday time sacrificed • degradation of land, particularly in land types sensitive to fire, and areas without follow-up rain Note: The pastoralists indicated that most labour associated with fighting 2000–2002 wildfires was unpaid or voluntary.

204 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Appendix 4: Case study of Coniston Station Coniston is situated approximately 250 kilometres north-north-west of Alice Springs. It is a relatively small station by central Australian standards, with a total area of 2192 square kilometres. It is dominated by acacia shrublands, as mulga (Acacia aneura) country on the flats and witchetty bush (Acacia kempeana) on the upland areas. Spinifex is not widespread, occurring on some of the upland areas and on small areas of sand plain. However, these spinifex sand plains are quite extensive on the neighbouring stations of Anningie and Mt Dension and the Pawu and Central Desert Aboriginal Land Trusts.

132°10'E 132°20'E 132°30'E 132°40'E 132°50'E 133°0'E 133°10'E S S ' ' 0 0 3 3 ° °

1 Fire History 1 2 2 2000 Stirling 2001 S S ' 2002 ' 0 Pawu ALT 0 4 4 ° ° 1 1

2 2003 2 Anningie 2004 S S ' ' 0 0 5 5 ° ° 1 1 2 2 S S ' ' 0 0 ° ° 2 2 2 Mt. Denison Coniston 2 Ahakeye ALT S S ' ' 0 0 1 1 ° ° 2 2 2 2 S S ' ' 0 0 2 2 ° ° 2 2 2 Pine Hill 2 Yalrirakinu ALT Napperby S S ' ' 0 0 3 3 ° ° 2 2 2 2

132°10'E 132°20'E 132°30'E 132°40'E 132°50'E 133°0'E 133°10'E

0 10 20 40 60 Km

Figure 4.1: Map of fires that affected Coniston Station, 2000–2004

Note: The tenure boundaries of the region’s pastoral properties and Aboriginal Land Trusts are yellow, main rivers are blue, main roads are dashed black and white lines, tracks are black and contours highlighting areas of major relief are grey lines.

At least 17 fires affected Coniston Station during 2000–02. Many more fires burning in the surrounding landscape were closely monitored. There were also subsequent fires in 2003 and 2004. The majority of fires that affected Coniston were started beyond the station boundary and burnt into Coniston. The total area of the fires and the proportion of the station burnt is shown in Figure 4.1 and listed in Table 4.8. The most significant fire was in October 2001, when nearly 40% of Coniston Station was burnt over

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 205 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 one and a half days. The station received good widespread rains three weeks after the fires, with more than 50 mm falling over three days, which was ideal rain for good pasture response. Pastures responded quickly after the rains, including good annual grass germination and growth. Without rain, Coniston would have experienced drought conditions and incurred significant costs associated with moving stock to drought reserve country and lost condition of cattle. Without rain, Coniston would have experienced losses (in stock production alone) of up to $30 000. Cattle turned off from burnt and reserve country would have earned up to 25c/kg less than cattle on good pastures, as they would have been sold as ‘stores’ rather than ‘fats’. Livestock weights would have also been lighter resulting in less total income on total weight sold. Coniston also had some internal fencing damage from the fires (Max Lines, January 2005, pers. comm.).

Table 4.8: Details for the fires that affected Coniston Station from 2000 to 2004

Fire size Area of Coniston Percentage of fire Fire Pre-fire date Post-fire date (km²) burnt (km²) on Coniston

1 20000909 20000925 10.35 0.00 0.0

2 20000909 20001011 582.54 23.60 4.1

3 20001230 20010216 392.56 6.27 1.6

4 20010417 20010507 125.59 0.00 0.0

5 20010417 20010507 6.98 0.00 0.0

6 20010507 20010523 1.92 1.92 100.0

7 20010624 20010726 369.40 43.50 11.8

8 20010726 20010912 187.95 118.01 62.8

9 20010928 20011014 960.71 843.32 87.8

10 20011014 20011030 184.49 72.53 39.3

11 20020323 20020408 7.87 7.87 100.0

12 20020523 20020624 0.82 0.82 100.0

13 20021001 20021118 0.25 0.25 100.0

14 20021001 20021118 0.04 0.04 100.0

15 20021001 20021118 225.48 25.00 11.1

16 20021102 20021118 750.80 59.48 7.9

17 20021118 20030206 5.01 5.01 100.0

18 20030910 20031028 137.22 0.00 0.0

19 20041107 20041115 245.51 17.04 0.0

TOTAL 1224.66 29.2

Note: Most fires started outside the station and burnt into or through the property. The pre-fire and post-fire dates (in YYYYMMDD format) are derived from Landsat satellite orbit dates, with a minimum 16-day interval.

206 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 Appendix 5: Case study of Erldunda station Erldunda is 200 kilometres south of Alice Springs on the Stuart Highway and is owned and managed by John and Paula Kilgariff. The station area is 2920 square kilometres. In 2002, Erldunda experienced severe wildfires over a large productive part of the property. The severity of the wildfires significantly affected carrying capacity of the property, and there has been almost no significant rainfall since the fires in late 2002. A major cost to the station was loss of drought reserve paddocks. Following the good wet seasons in 2001 and early 2002, the Kilgariffs closed some major paddocks to spell them from grazing. These were to be kept as a drought reserve. As a result of the wildfires in 2002 (mostly caused by lightning strikes), many paddocks were burnt, including four drought reserve paddocks, resulting in a net loss of feed. Over 300 square kilometres of good grazing country was burnt and considerably more spinifex country was burnt (Figure 4.2 and Table 4.6). The first significant rainfall event on Erldunda following the 2000–2002 fires did not occur until May 2004, when 100 mm of rainfall was recorded. However, the herbage that resulted from this rainfall was blown away with the hot summer winds in late 2004. At the end of 2005 the Kilgariffs were still feeling the financial effects of having to turn off large numbers of stock as a result of the loss of feed due to the fires.

Figure 4.2: Map of fires that affected Erldunda Station during 2002

Note: The tenure boundaries of the region’s pastoral properties are yellow, with Erldunda highlighted in orange; main roads are dashed black and white lines.

Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Desert Knowledge CRC 207 Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208 During the time of the fires, the Kilgariffs and station staff spent hundreds of hours fighting fires and back-burning to protect grazing country. The total labour involved in fire fighting over the nine-month period of wildfires was equivalent to the salary of one person full time for five months, plus running costs. In one month, the station used 10 000 litres of diesel to run machinery and graders to cut off wildfires and put in breaks for back-burning. Approximately 100 kilometres of fencing was damaged by fire, 40 kilometres of which needed to be completely replaced. Other damage included ten utility and four grader tyres, plus wear and tear on machinery. The total value of labour, infrastructure damage and operational expenses to fight fires in 2002 on Erldunda station totalled in excess of $85 000. It was not possible to accurately calculate the subsequent lost production costs and the value of lost feed. Lost production was estimated to be in the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. When asked about the wildfires of 2002, John Kilgariff reflected: If I had my time again, I wouldn’t have done anything to pull up most of those fires. What we spent days and days trying to save ended up getting burnt anyway, the fuel was that thick. I think I would try to fight it out in the open and worry about saving the very best country (open oat grass country), but wouldn’t worry about the scrub; it was too dangerous.

Table 4.9: Details for the fires that affected Erldunda Station in 2002

Fire size Area of Erldunda Percentage of fire Fire Pre-fire date Post-fire date (km²) burnt (km²) on Erldunda 1 20020212 20020316 0.85 0.85 100.0

2 20020212 20020316 0.07 0.07 100.0

3 20020212 20020316 0.03 0.03 100.0

4 20020212 20020316 0.39 0.39 100.0

5 20020212 20020316 0.05 0.05 100.0

6 20020316 20020503 45.42 45.42 100.0

7 20020503 20020519 838.88 19.84 2.4

8 20020604 20020807 132.52 132.52 100.0

9 20020604 20020807 7.74 0.00 0.0

10 20020807 20020924 7.77 2.41 31.0

11 20020807 20021026 45.19 44.96 99.5

12 20020924 20021026 1237.70 0.80 0.1

13 20021026 20021111 68.38 52.45 76.7

14 20021026 20021111 0.31 0.31 100.0

15 20021026 20021213 0.53 0.53 100.0

16 20021111 20021213 904.14 153.68 17.0

17 20021111 20021213 3489.07 399.04 11.4

TOTAL 853.34 29.2

Note: Most fires started outside the station and burnt into or through the property. The pre-fire and post-fire dates (YYYYMMDD format) are derived from Landsat satellite orbit dates, with a minimum 16-day interval.

208 Desert Knowledge CRC Desert Fire: fire and regional land management in the arid landscapes of Australia Ch 4: Pastoralists’ perspectives on costs of fires in central Australia, 2000–02 pp. 187–208